Lakeside Cottage (24 page)

K
ate sat on the porch steps with her notebook, formulating questions to ask Callie’s mother in the interview. Aaron was playing with the dog in the yard, and Callie had taken the county bus to town for her morning class and support group. Meanwhile, Kate was supposed to be getting some work done, but now she was starting to wonder if she was cut out to be a hard-nosed freelance journalist after all. Even thinking up the questions gave her a stomachache. She couldn’t imagine asking them, nor could she realistically expect honest answers.

Ms. Evans, what possessed you to live at a commune run by a pedophile?

Were you prepared for him to come after your daughter when she hit puberty?

Later, when you abandoned her in Tacoma, did you suppose there was any way that could be construed as responsible parenting?

In journalism school, she had learned sound principles for extracting information, even from the most reluctant of subjects. However, she couldn’t recall what
to do if the interviewer herself was reluctant. On the other hand, there was the age-old multifarious method. Just let the subject talk, take it all down and write the truth.

How does it help Callie to have her life smeared all over the press?
JD’s disapproving voice intruded on her thoughts, undermining her conviction. Shut up, she wanted to tell him. Go away. His opinion didn’t have to matter to her, not anymore. She was her own person, she always had been, and for a few crazy weeks, she’d let herself forget that. Now sanity had returned, and she was determined to get over him, the sooner the better.

“Mom,” Aaron called from the yard. “Hey, Mom, watch.”

Grateful for the distraction, she set aside the notebook, laced her fingers around her knees and leaned back to watch. “Go ahead, buddy,” she called to him.

He coaxed Bandit through a trick they’d been working on all summer long. Every once in a while, the dog succeeded, seemingly by accident. Yet today he got it.

“Let us pray,” Aaron said, holding his palms up and looking at the sky.

Immediately, the dog sat with paws forward and head bowed, staying that way until Aaron yelled, “Amen!” Then Bandit jumped up and scampered away.

Kate was amazed. Although undeniably lovable, Bandit was not the brightest example of canine intellect. His ability to perform had, thus far, been limited to a few one-word commands.

Or so she thought. Thanks to Aaron’s persistence, the beagle had finally caught on to a new trick. And Kate learned something, too. Don’t write somebody off just because you think they lack ability.

“You’re incredible, both of you,” she said. “I’m proud of you, Aaron.”

He stood up a little straighter, grinned a little broader. “Proud enough to end my groundation?”

“You wish. One thing has nothing to do with the other.”

“Mom—”

“One more peep out of you, and I’ll add an extra day of no bike or swimming.”

His shoulders hunched forward.

Kate felt terrible, but she knew she had to stick to her guns. Taking away bike and swimming privileges was especially cruel now that summer was running out. Every day counted.

“You did the crime,” she said, “you have to do the time.”

He looked so miserable. And Lord knew, he deserved a reward for his persistence in teaching Bandit.

“Tell you what,” she said, “let’s take the kayak out.”

“Yeah!” He was already running for the life vests and paddles. In just a few minutes, the two of them were paddling toward the middle of the lake, the sun sparkling in the droplets of water that rained from the oars.

Strictly speaking, she probably should have forbidden him to go out on the lake at all. Then again, she rationalized, grounding him from riding his bike and going swimming made her point. Besides, kayaking was a relatively safe way to enjoy the water, and therefore should be encouraged.

Behind him in the low, sleek craft, she noticed how strong his arms had grown over the summer, how the sunlight streaked his hair. Despite liberal use of sunscreen, freckles dotted his skin. Over the summer, he’d
gotten taller, more sure of himself, less angry. My boy is growing up, she thought.

They paddled in silence for a while, the kayak’s shadow haunting the intensely blue depths beneath them. She felt a wave of nostalgia. No matter how many times she traveled these waters, the lake always felt new to her, its splendor undiminished by familiarity.

Keeping the rhythm of the oars steady, Aaron said, “I miss JD.”

Me, too, thought Kate.

“Why doesn’t he come over anymore? Is it because I rode my bike off the dock?”

She sighed. Aaron always blamed himself when men dumped her. “Absolutely not,” she said. “Don’t be silly.”

“I thought you guys were, like, boyfriend and girlfriend.”

Kate gritted her teeth. She was an idiot. She knew better than to look twice at a guy. The moment she did, Aaron got his hopes up. Falling for someone put more than her own heart at risk; it risked Aaron’s, too. She knew that. How could she have been so careless with her own son? It didn’t matter that, right from the start, she’d taken pains to explain to Aaron that JD wasn’t a permanent fixture in their lives. Aaron’s father fantasies always took flight no matter what she said.

Hearing the sadness in her son’s voice, she wanted to cry, too. “We weren’t really…meant for each other,” she said. “I think we both realized that and went our separate ways.”

He still didn’t break his rhythm with the paddles. “That’s dumb.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because JD likes you. He even likes me.”

“Don’t be silly. Everyone likes you.”

“Yeah, right. I realize I’m supposed to be stupid and all—”

“Aaron—”

“But I know more than you think I know.”

“I think you know a lot.”

“Like he’s perfect for us,” Aaron said, “and it stinks that you ran him off.”

“I didn’t run him off. He left of his own accord, and there’s no point expecting him to come back. Even if that’s what I wanted, it’s not going to happen. It’s better this way, Aaron, better that it happened sooner rather than later. The two of us realized we’re better off keeping our distance.”

“Why?”

“It’s complicated.”

“It is not. It’s simple. He liked us, Mom. He wanted to be with us. I bet he was starting to love us, even. It’s not like that happens every day.”

Kate nearly dropped her paddle. Who was this person, sounding so grown up and sure of himself?

“Nobody was starting anything,” she said. What a liar I am, she realized. No wonder Aaron was so skeptical of everything she said. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. “There are lots of kinds of love, buddy. Some kinds are made to last a lifetime, like the way I love you. And some last just one summer, and then you let go and move on. Trust me, we’re better off like this. Just the two of us.”

“Right, Mom.”

They paddled along in quiet contemplation. By working the foot pedals, she steered them in the opposite direction from JD’s place. She tried to keep herself from
looking over there, but she was helpless to resist. Don’t look, she told herself. Whatever you do, don’t look.

She looked.

Although they were some distance away, she could see JD in the yard, cutting the grass with a push mower. He’d taken off his shirt and tucked it into the waistband of his jeans so that it hung down behind him. Sunlight flickered over his sinewy brown arms, strong legs, big shoulders. She couldn’t help remembering what it felt like to have those arms around her, or hearing his voice whispering in her ear, or seeing his face lose its usual guarded look when he smiled at her. It hit her then that Aaron was right. She did miss JD and something had been starting between them, something good and real that she should have nurtured and cherished rather than distrusted, questioned and then dismissed. It was too late now, though. Wasn’t it?

“Anyway,” Aaron continued, “it’s not just the two of us. Callie makes three.”

“For the summer, anyway,” she said.

“She could stay with us longer,” Aaron stated.

Kate had been thinking about that very idea. “That’s possible. Something to discuss, anyway.”

“Who needs to discuss it? We adopted Bandit. We could adopt Callie, too.”

Kate knew she should never be startled by anything Aaron said, but he always managed to surprise her. “I’ve been thinking about the end of summer,” Kate told him. “Not about adopting her—that’s not possible yet. But if Child Protective Services approves, we could be her foster family. It’s just an idea, though. We—all three of us—need to talk about whether or not it’s the right choice for Callie and how it would work.”

“It would work, no problem.”

She had to smile at his simple logic. “Teenagers are a lot of work.”

“So was Bandit. So am I.”

Kate frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“C’mon, Mom. You missed so much work trying to keep up with all the school meetings and sports and stuff about me that you finally lost your job, but you didn’t care because I’m more important than any job.” He sent her a knowing glance over his shoulder. “How am I doing?”

“I’m speechless.”

“Are not.”

“True. So are you saying that you think you’re a lot of trouble?”

“I know I am.”

Kate had been so young when she’d been faced with her unplanned pregnancy, yet she still remembered the mingled wonder, horror, joy and terror that had filled her when a home test confirmed her suspicions. After Nathan stepped out of the picture, she had considered both abortion and adoption. Neither option felt right for her. She’d kept Aaron, welcomed him with open arms, and she was grateful for that every day. Your boy is a blessing, JD had said. No matter what happened after, she would always remember that he had told her that.

“Do you also know you’re a lot of joy?” she asked Aaron.

“Yep. That’s why I’m saying it would work to be Callie’s family.”

“For us. It would work for you and me.”

“Right.”

“Do you think it would work for Callie?”

“I don’t know about that.”

Neither did Kate. “That’s why nobody’s mind is made
up,” she said to Aaron. “I need to talk to her about it. Then we have to let Callie decide how she feels about this.”

“You can do that right now,” Aaron said, pointing his paddle toward the house.

She was coming down the driveway as the county transit bus lumbered away. Bandit leaped at the girl in greeting, barking ecstatically. She squatted and petted him, letting him lick her face. Watching them as the kayak glided up to the dock, Kate felt a strong tug of affection. Callie had been a member of this family all summer. This didn’t have to end.

After lunch, a FedEx truck arrived with a small, flat package. “This is a tough location to find,” the driver said as Kate signed for the parcel.

“That’s what we like about it.” Kate smiled, though when she saw who the sender was, her stomach clenched with apprehension. She went back into the house to find Callie and Aaron just finishing up the lunch dishes. Aaron dashed outside before she could assign him any more chores.

“Who was that?” asked Callie.

Kate didn’t answer right away. She brought her laptop computer to the kitchen table, then handed Callie the package.

“Oh,” said Callie, her voice soft and nervous-sounding. Her hand trembled a little as she opened the package, which contained a shiny CD.

Kate put the disk into the drive and almost forgot to breathe while the thing booted up.

“These are going to suck, I just know it,” Callie murmured.

Kate didn’t say anything. Knowing how fragile Callie
was, Kate prayed the photographs wouldn’t hurt her more, but the potential was there. In her years at the paper, she’d seen her share of harsh and unflattering shots. But this was
Vanity Fair,
she told herself. The magazine used the best photographers in the business.

The first image flickered onto the screen, and Kate slowly let out her breath. She glanced over at Callie, who appeared mesmerized.

“Well,” said Kate. “I guess the suspense is over, eh?”

As they scrolled through the photos, Kate’s heart soared. The pictures had a lyrical quality, which captured the richness of the lakeside setting in all its majesty. Gilded by the light of sunset, the background resembled an idealized painting, something Maxfield Parrish might have done. Yet as captivating as the lake and mountains were, the true star of the photos was Callie herself. Somehow, the talented photographer’s lens had found her toughness, but also her vulnerability. The photos showed Callie as her best self. She had not been glamorized by special effects or touching up, but instead, she was depicted with a stark, unsparing honesty that suited her much better.

“I think that’s my favorite,” Kate said, indicating a shot of Callie looking up slightly into the camera’s eye. The picture captured her intelligence and sadness, yet the slight curve of her mouth hinted at a sturdy sense of humor. Kate had an urge to rush over to JD’s place, to show him the pictures like a proud mother. She killed the impulse, of course. JD would hate the pictures no matter how beautiful they turned out. His stubborn disapproval was wedged between them, cold and immovable. He was being ridiculous.

Yet he made her question herself constantly. Was this
an invasion of Callie’s privacy for profit? Or would the piece illuminate a life in a way that would affect people when they read it?

“I’m so excited,” Callie said, scrolling through the pictures again. “These are better than I ever thought they could be.”

“You’re beautiful,” Kate told her. “These pictures truly do you justice.” Impulsively, she touched the girl’s hand, and for once, Callie didn’t flinch. “I’m so glad you’re getting your health back,” she added.

“Every time I start getting ticked off at you for being the diet and exercise Nazi, I remind myself of that.”

“Am I a Nazi about it?”

“You’re pretty bossy. It’s okay, though.”

“That’s the only way I know how to be a parent.” It just slipped out. Kate wondered if Callie had noticed. If she did, she didn’t say anything.